


Breathe

by zarabithia



Category: Hawkeye (Comics), Marvel 616, Young Avengers (Comics)
Genre: Blood, Death, F/M, Past Miscarriage, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-23
Updated: 2017-10-23
Packaged: 2019-01-21 16:49:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12461868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zarabithia/pseuds/zarabithia
Summary: It's difficult to breathe.





	Breathe

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Дыши](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14037129) by [fytbolistka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fytbolistka/pseuds/fytbolistka), [WTFHawkeye2018](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WTFHawkeye2018/pseuds/WTFHawkeye2018)



It’s difficult to breathe.

Okay, he also can’t see and … and it would be really nice if he could find his hearing aids, because maybe then the overhelming quiet blackness would be less consuming.

But right now, what matters is the sharp pain that slices through him each time he draws a breath. Or moves. Or thinks about moving.

Kate’s going to be so fucking pissed, but he’s so glad this was a solo mission. Because the last thing he’d want is her lying beside him -

(okay, maybe that’s not true. Part of him, the tiny part that whispers in the back of his mind when he’s marveling with the front of his brain about how pretty she is, that part had always kind of imagined they’d go out together.)

\- Because she’s going to be pissed, so pissed, but it’s better than watching her struggle to breathe.

He doesn’t want to think about the fact that she’ll probably cry. No, no, no, he’s never been able to handle Katie crying. Instead, he pictures her screaming in rage about his incompetence, about his foolishness, about …

The scientist is safe, though, Katie, he whispers in his head. The mission was complete and he’d done his fucking job.

When she’s done raging, that will matter to her, because she’s a hero. She’s a better hero than him, that’s for sure. Always has been, from the very start.

God, it hurts so much to breathe and he’s pretty sure that’s blood trickling out of his nose now. That’s not good. Is he going to drown choking on his own blood?

He thinks of Kate’s kisses, usually rough, but sometimes gentle when she kissed the top of his nose. He thinks about her hands .. . her hands that held identical callouses.

He thinks about those hands lying folded on top of her stomach, on a bump they hadn’t discussed because Clint had already lost one chance at being a dad and because Kate had more parent issues than Clint and Barney put together.

He thinks of that kid, and he hopes it fights like her.

It hurts to cough even more than it hurts to breathe, and the raging guilt that suddenly won’t leave - I didn’t mean to leave you, kiddo, Kate will tell you that, I’m not like him, I swear - can fuck off because….

This kid is never going to be raised by strangers. He .. She? … The kid has a great, unstoppable, perfect mother and a whole legion of aunts and uncles… Kate’s Witch and her little Skrull friend managed to have a kid, too, so he’ll have a playmate. A playmate named after his amazing mother.

Raised with Two Katies. The kid’s gonna be … perfect. Just like mom.

It hurts so bad to breathe…

But then it doesn’t.

~

It’s Steve who comes to the door, and he doesn’t have to say a word because Kate knows the minute she sees his face.

The look on his face reaches inside of her chest and makes it difficult to breathe.


End file.
